Apostolo Zeno - finally acquired!

There have been many, many coin collectors over the centuries but few have documented collections as early as Apostolo Zeno.

Apostolo Zeno (1668-1750) was Venetian nobleman who was a famous poet and librettist (he wrote the texts for 36 operas, including Vivaldi and Scarlatti). He served as poet laureate to Holy Roman Emperor Karl VI in Vienna in 1718 which afforded him the ability to collect coins upon retiring, starting at the age of 54 in 1722. He continued this passion for collecting in the following 25 years and mostly acquired his pieces in Rome or Venice, taking particular care to distinguish genuine coins from forgeries, which were already abundant at that time.

His collection (which rivaled that of the emperor himself), was bought by the Abbey of St. Florian in Austria in 1747 resting in the mountain top monastery until they were sold beginning in 1955. All the coins were acquired primarily during the second quarter of the 18th century, though many of them may well have been found in the 17th century or earlier.

I'm very grateful to the watchful eye of my dealer who pointed this coin out to me. I was distracted by other sales and frankly missed the pedigree, one of the "key" pedigrees I've been seeking.

I would have been happy with any Apostolo Zeno coin but am thrilled to have a coin of a type that's been on my wantlist for a long time.



Ex. P. & P. Santamaria auction, Rome February 24, 1958, No. 1059 and the collection of the Venetian poet Apostolo Zeno, Dorotheum auction, Vienna June 13, 1955, No. 378

Post your favorite or oldest pedigrees!

 

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That’s beautiful. I love that temple reverse. Is that the temple of Vesta/Hercules in Rome? Not too many round temples like that

 

It is a really exceptional coin to begin with and the provenance makes it truly world class!

 

Are there any coins that have an older provenance? I mean that’s pretty dang old with a good track record

 

My only Apostolo Zeno Av Reduced Aureus ( Quinarius?)of Gallienus Rome Obv Head of Gallienus right laureate. Rv. Securitas standing left RIC 118 Gobl MIR 36 670b This coin illustrated Biaggi 1471 This coin illustrated. NAC Auction 49 Lot 375 Where the coin was mistakenly listed as Dortheum Lot 2013 Dortheum Lot 2019 June 13 to 16 1955 1.43 grms 17 mm Photo by W. Hansen As far as I know this is about as old as a pedigree gets. There might be older. However I think that most auction catalogues did not have illustrations until some time after World War I. This would make identifcation for many coins very difficult.
Apostolo Zeno

 

Absolutely gorgeous piece @AncientJoe! And a provenance that can't be beat! The reverse in particular is extremely well-struck and of amazing style. I have always wanted a Zeno, but have yet to find the right type (that doesn't break the bank!).

I will post a Flavian Vesta type as well. I purchased this piece privately at NYINC with a pedigree to 1998, but I was able to track it back to Sartiges and Evans!



Ex Ernst Ploil Collection, NAC 101, 2017, 216; European Nobleman, NAC 24, 2002, 56 ; Triton II, 1998, 866; Vicomte de Sartiges Collection (Ars Classica XVIII, 10 October 1938; Sir John Evans Collection (Rollin & Feuardent, 26 May 1909).

 

According to Künker's description of your aureus, on the 10,766 coins in Zeno's collection in 1747, 433 were gold. Yours is surely one of the most exquisite example. Félicitations!

 

Beautiful AVREVS, @AncientJoe . Just super. Congrats on this great find, and such a cool provenance!

Curious: it would be interesting where Zeno acquired it?

I am sure we may never know.

 

Huge coingrats @AncientJoe! That is an insanely beautiful and historical gold coin of the Flavian dynasty
Mine has not that old of a pedigree, but with some CT pal help recently, I found a fun provenanc and even have the old plate from Hirsch as well as her being from the Vineyard collection. A collection dedicated exclusively to drinkin wine:


EUBOIA. Histiaia. 3rd-2nd centuries BC. Tetrobol (Silver, 15 mm, 2.06 g, 9 h). Vine-wreathed head of nymph Histiaia to right, wearing pendant earring and necklace. Rev. IΣTIAIE-ΩN Nymph seated to right on stern of galley, holding stylis in her left hand and resting her right on the deck; on the side of the stern, wing; below to left, monogram, labrys. ANS 1944.100.24022. BCD Euboia -. Lovely style; well-struck and rather uncommon. Minor die break on reverse, otherwise, very fine.
From the Vineyard Collection, ex Hirsch, March 2002 ,219 (part of lot). Ex: Nomos Obols

 

Wow, congratulations! The provenance is, of course, an absolutely fantastic one, but I also think this is a fabulous coin. I saw it in the online catalogue and went back to admire it several times in the weeks running up to the auction. Not that I'd be able to afford it, but looking was free. Nice seeing it here again.

This one doesn't have as old a pedigree, but it's a pretty neat one.

SEPTIMIUS SEVERUS
AE As. 9.11g, 25.9mm. Rome mint, AD 210. RIC 804; Cohen 551-2. O: [SE]VER[VS] PIVS AVG, laureate head right. R: P M TR P XVIII COS III P P, Roma right holding palladium and spear; before her, a kneeling captive; SC in exergue.
Ex RJM Collection; ex Alex G. Malloy, Ancient Coins LIII (coin #235); ex William Turner Collection (circa 1812-1817)
Notes: William Turner (1792-1867) was a British diplomat who served in various roles at the British Embassy in Constantinople in the early 19th century. He traveled extensively in the region, often acquiring antiquities and coins in the cities that he visited. In 1820, he published Journal of a Tour in the Levant, a chronicle of his travels.

 

I'd be interested as well to learn what the oldest known provenance is. There have been posts on CT about coins with a countermark of an eagle, evidencing a Gonzaga Collection provenance dating back at least to the early 1600s. I don't recall ever reading about a credible provenance older than that.

 

Wonderful point! I've never read of anything concrete beyond that... though, does a counter mark assure provenance?
Cause if it does...

​

 

Provenance dating back to the guys who used the funny-looking countermarks, ca. 200 BCE, plus or minus a few hundred years. That should work.

 

HI All,

Great coin @zumbly ! Here is my Ex William Turner coin from the same Malloy auction. (Sorry for the bad photography). Also, here is a bit more of the Turner provenance story from the flip that came with my lead token:

“This specimen was obtained by Turner in the course of his travels (1812-1817). Throughout his travels, Turner was always keen to ask for what the Greeks called "medals," "any coin of ancient origin," as well as engraved seals. At Turner's death in 1867 this collection remained within the family, passing to his son, Mansfield Turner (d.1901), and through the latter's daughter to William Turner's great grandson, with whom it remained until 1987.”



- Broucheion

 

Great coin and provenance!

My oldest pedigree dates back to 1925, it was sold without any known provenance and was a fun little puzzle to piece together.



Anonymous. Ca. 235-231 BC. Æ Half-Litra (12mm, 1.37 g, 7h). Rome mint.

Obverse: Head of Roma or Minerva(?) right, wearing Phrygian helmet.

Reverse: Dog standing right, left forepaw raised in pointing stance; ROMA in exergue.

Reference: Crawford 26/4.

Provenance: Heritage Auctions, Weekly auction 231923 (29 May 2019), Ex Goodman collection, Triton I (2 December 1997), lot 842; Ex Virgil Brand (1862-1926) collection, Part VII (Sotheby's , 25 October 1984, lot 478 (part of). Ex Niklovitz collection, Leo Hamburger (19 October 1925), lot 221.

You have the collection of queen Christina of Sweden that dates back to the mid 1600s https://www.cngcoins.com/Coin.aspx?CoinID=231824

 

Thanks! Nice to see something else from the Turner Collection here.

 

Congrats on another fantastic addition, @AncientJoe ! That temple reverse is spectacular, and obviously that is an incredible pedigree.

The oldest provenance I know of is AJ’s gold coin made from a melted-down gold statute of Nike on the Acropolis, though I’m not sure if that technically counts as “pedigree”; that coin is really its own category.

My oldest pedigrees go back about 100 years or so. I recently shared this little Syracuse bronze with a old collector’s ticket from the 1920s:



Sicily, Syracuse, circa 275-269 BC, (AE 20mm., 5.45g.), Wreathed head of Persephone (Kore) left,; uncertain symbol behind neck./ Rev. Bull butting l.; above, club above T; IE in exergue. Calciati 191.
From a Swiss collection from Tessin assembled in the 1920’s.

My oldest pedigrees are these two from the Dattari collection:


Commodus, Alexandria, BI Tetradrachm,(24.2mm., 10.19g), circa 183-185 (RY 24 of Marcus Aurelius), Laureate head of Commodus right/ Rev. Commodus, in priestly attire, standing left before bust of Serapis set on low cippus, sacrificing and dropping incense over lighted altar, L-K-Δ. RPC Online 16005 (this coin), Dattari-Savio Pl. 207, 9553 (this coin)
From the Dattari Collection (1853-1923)


Constantius Gallus, Caesar, AE Centenionalis (23mm, 6.49 g). Alexandria mint, 3rd officina. Struck AD 351-355. Bareheaded, draped, and cuirassed bust right / Soldier standing left, holding round shield and spearing fallen horseman to lower left; Γ/–//ALEΓ. RIC VIII 74.
Ex Giovanni Dattari Collection of Late Roman Bronzes.

 

Wow, AJ, what a fantastic coin and pedigree!! Congratulations

My oldest pedigrees are a small group of coins from a professor who lived in the 1800s, James R. Eaton. The group includes my largest diameter coin, a Ptolemaic bronze, plus a handful of other Ptolemaic bronzes, a few later Alexandrian tetradrachms, and an Augustus & Agrippa COL NEM. Here's his bio, copied from the auction catalog. He also collected minerals and geological specimens. I'd love to find one of those to complement the coins!

Professor James R. Eaton (1834-1897)

James Eaton was born the second son of Reverend George Washington Eaton, D.D., L.L.D., who was the president of Madison University (now called Colgate University) in Hamilton, New York. James graduated from Madison University and the Hamilton Theological Seminary and, though he was ordained as a Baptist minister, chose teaching as his profession. He became a professor of mathematics, natural science, ancient languages, and theology, and in 1868 he accepted a position at William Jewel College in Liberty, Missouri. He served as the head of the Department of Natural Sciences for 28 years.

By 1897, his increasing frailty convinced James that he should take a sabbatical, and it had been his lifelong dream to visit the Holy Land. He set sail from New York, but tragically suffered a heart attack shortly after arriving in Cairo. He died a few days later on March 20, 1897.

Professor Eaton was an enthusiastic collector, and in addition to his extensive cabinets of minerals and geological specimens, he spent 30 years collecting coins. He created many different sub-collections, including a complete collection of Biblical coins, a collection of the earliest gold, silver, and bronze Greek and Roman coins, a portrait collection, a collection of early American copper coins, and many others.

The last coin was integrated into this impressive collection back in the 1890s, meaning that this collection has been off the market for more than a century!

The coins eventually came into the possession of James’ son, Hubert Eaton, who was the one of the founders and presidents of Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California. Hubert periodically displayed the coins at the museum there, along with other family sculptures and art.

...


EGYPT. Ptolemy III
285-246 BCE
AE48 mm, 91.8 gm
Obv: laureate head of Zeus Ammon right
Rev: eagle standing left on thunderbolt looking right, wings partly spread, E monogram between eagle's legs
Ref: Sear 7782, Svoronos 446
ex Professor James Eaton Collection (1834-1897)

I have bunches of ex Dattari coins too, probably a couple dozen. Naville has been selling them for several years now. The first Naville auction to feature a large number of ex Dattari coins was a frenzy! Naville's auction format is not a timed closure so the start of the Dattari section was dependent on the pace of the prior lots. I studied all of the coins and planned my bids carefully but was utterly blown out of the water on most everything. I was very fortunate to win the first lot of the Dattari section for £55, just one increment over start... apparently because most people who were in it for Dattari coins missed the start! After that coup I mistakenly thought the whole auction would go like that. Nope. Big-time bidding ensued and I picked up just two other "lesser" coins that round.

Here's that first Dattari win:


EGYPT, Alexandria. Tiberius
Year 5, CE 18/9
AE obol, 20 mm, 4.45 gm
Obv: bare head right
Rev: hippopotamus right; TIBEPIoY above; [L] E in exergue
Ref: Emmett 62.5, R1; Geissen 47; Dattari-Savio 102 (this coin); RPC 5082
ex Dattari collection (Giovanni Dattari, 1858-1923)

 

..awe inspiring coin & provenance AJ...the best i can do is show my 'holey' coin of Holy R. E. Charles VI, who made it all possible..

 

What a truly exceptional coin and provenance @AncientJoe !!!! Also, the detail on the temple of Vesta makes the coin all the more interesting! I love coins that feature Roman buildings!

I have a few coins with provenances to the 70s and 80s, and one that has a provenance to the 50s, but nothing going back a few centuries....
Well done!!!!